​ Many patients with cancer experience infections requiring treatment. However, David Pinato, MD, MRes, PhD, and colleagues recently found that in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), melanoma, and other tumor types, broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment administered within 30 days prior to the commencement of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy dramatically worsened overall survival (2 vs 26 months) and increased the risk of treatment-refractory disease . In this interview with i3 He...

An observational study reports that broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment administered within 30 days prior to the commencement of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy dramatically worsens overall survival and increases the risk of treatment-refractory disease. Published in JAMA Oncology , the prospective cohort study conducted at two tertiary academic referral centers enrolled 196 patients with cancer receiving immune checkpoint therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (119 patients), melanoma (38 p...

In addition to the known cancer risks associated with consumption of red and processed meats, a new study warns of an increased cancer risk from poultry. "The latest meta-analysis from the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research concluded that red meat was a probable cause and processed meat a convincing cause of colorectal cancer," write the researchers in their presentation abstract in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health , led by first author Anika Knüppe...

Researchers have developed a nanovaccine that, when combined with antibodies and ibrutinib, shows potential as an effective treatment for melanoma. Immune checkpoint therapy, a form of cancer therapy which targets the immune system, has proven to be an effective treatment method for melanoma, the most aggressive type of skin cancer. However, immune checkpoint therapy is limited by a low response rate, severe side effects, and acquired resistance to treatment. There is a need to develop an altern...

According to a recent study, an increased consumption of vitamin A is associated with a decreased risk of squamous cell carcinoma. The second most common form of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma arises when an uncontrolled growth occurs in the outermost layer of the skin, called the epidermis. Sun exposure is a huge risk factor of squamous cell carcinoma. This cancer appears as persistent, thick, rough, scaly patches that can bleed. For this study, published in Journal of the American Medica...